Stavos knew that they were up to something but probably not what it was specifically in any meaningful way. Interesting that Elizabeth never told Claudia about Philip’s deception.
I don’t get what Stavos is supposed to know, or why he is assuring Philip that he won’t tell. He’s acting like he has figured out they are actually Russian spies, but that he himself is a Russian immigrant and/or communist sympathizer or something, so he won’t give them up… but on reflection that makes no sense.
Surely Phil & Liz aren’t dumb enough to let him actually overhear them, their tradecraft is always portrayed as impeccable. So what is Stavos supposed to think is the significance of frequent secret conversations… so far as he knows, between an American husband and wife?
He knows something shady is going on but doesn’t know what. But how stupid are people to confront P+E (especially E) with their suspicions? That kid is lucky to still be breathing.
Okay…but why? How?
I do agree with you that he and the kid got away with something very dangerous.
Why do you think that P bought the expensive new suit?
Why did Elizabeth spare Jackson? She’s killed people who were much less of a threat to her operations. Just recently she killed the guy whose girlfriend worked in security on the possibility that he might mention it to her - whereas Jackson knew for sure she was spying and clearly wasn’t playing ball on keeping quiet.
It feels like we’re supposed to make the connection to her emotional reaction to the death of the artist, but I don’t really see any connection there and why that would affect Elizabeth’s choice to kill or let someone go who could expose her.
I hope it’s not a plot contrivince to get the ball rolling on someone catching her - I suspect it is - because it doesn’t feel like it was set up very well. She very well could’ve killed someone innocent or otherwise came to regret someone she killed to set her up for being hesistant to kill Jackson, but that groundwork wasn’t laid.
It’s a direct development from the opening with Philip, right? “They tell us what to do, but we do it, so it’s on us”, something like that. She’s finally starting to question her rock solid solid conviction that her appalling actions are justified because she’s working for the good guys. She has never wavered on Russia vs America - that to her is always good vs evil, and it would not be credible for her to suddenly say “hey, you’re right, these Americans really aren’t so bad after all”. But I think Philip coming clean brought home to her (although she didn’t immediately concede it to Philip) that this is one Russian faction vs another, and I think she’s starting to question whether it’s quite so black and white as Russian patriots vs Russian traitors. The shift is made explicit in her refusal to blindly follow Claudia’s assassination order.
And she feels much more affection for Jackson than the rando security dude.
I wondered the same! Critics are saying maybe to be buried in?
I wouldn’t mind seeing an Animal House ending.
“Senator & Mrs. Mail Robot
Washington, D.C.”
Stan to Adderholt: “We need to raid the Jennings’ house.”
Mail robot: “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that Stan.”
In addition to other reasons mentioned, I think the fact that she had just burned the painting didn’t help. That was definitely a situation where she let the necessities of the job override what felt “right” to her personally, and maybe that just left her in a place where she couldn’t bear to make the pragmatic but cruel decision.
Maybe she finally had a pang of conscience over murdering some dumb kid about the age of her own son. The SP she killed was at least part of the military.
The name ‘Stavos’ is Greek.
“Stavros” with an r is Greek. “Stavos” does not appear to be a common first name at all, and as a surname it does not appear to be Greek.
In any event I’m suggesting he’s supposed to be Russian.
Having Stavos feel suspicious (let alone confident enough in his suspicion to mention it like this) seems out of place. P&E are very careful about disguising everything they do, and constantly being in and out and traveling is not really suspicious for travel agents. I hope what he thinks he knows doesn’t become a big plot point. But then what is the point of the scene? I guess to make P&E more paranoid and start second guessing themselves.
Stavos would seem to be a Central European name, maybe Czech or Slovak. I don’t believe it’s Russian.
Sorry to add to the confusion, that was supposed to read I’m not suggesting he’s supposed to be Russian.
Yes, the scene made little sense to me. Philip gave a very well acted “utterly shocked” reaction… but why? What can Stavos have seen other than an American husband and wife engaged in frequent intense conversations in the back room of their business. So what?
I mean, if the FBI suspect them of being spies, that’s hardly going to be the clinching piece of evidence, is it.
I think that everyone is missing the need for this Stavos suspicion. It is to justify why Stan has suddenly put everything together!
For several pages we have been arguing about the accelerated timeline for Stan to zero in on the Jennings. Well, the writers are using Stavos to say, “given enough time and enough wonkiness, everyone is going to note that something is going on.” I think Stavos’s role is done- he is the bridge we need to buy that Stan also figured it out.
And I think we are supposed to think that Stavos is Russian, I believe that Philip is apologizing not to Stavos so much as betraying/failing his motherland with Stavos as surrogate.
Ha! Great post…the funniest post I have seen in awhile!